Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Orochimaru, whose hands and souls were taken by the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi three years ago, was forced to lose a large number of ninjutsu.

In addition to the continuous torment on the soul level over three years, and the discomfort in the body caused by not being able to welcome Sasuke who left Konoha to follow him within the effective time, he was subjected to the Reanimation Jutsu in an inferior vessel.

Various reasons led to a significant reduction in Orochimaru's strength.

In these three years, Orochimaru has long lost the glory of being one of the "Legendary Sannin".

He was like a rat crossing the street, constantly hiding and running away.

Having evaded external attacks time and time again, will Orochimaru be able to successfully resolve this crisis originating from within?

Naruto's gaze followed the sound of Sasuke speaking to him and landed on Sasuke.

Then, Naruto shifted his gaze to the Sound Four, who, as before, maintained a distinctly "hierarchical" attitude towards Sasuke.

...In the end, Naruto followed Sasuke's idea and did not eliminate the Sound Four.

Since Sasuke had already expressed his thoughts on the Sound Four, Naruto didn't bother arguing with him about such a "minor matter."

Sasuke and Naruto quickly reached a consensus on how to deal with the Sound Four.

Aside from Kaguya Kimimaro, who sees Orochimaru as everything and dedicates his life to Orochimaru's dream.

That genius boy from the Land of Water who originally led the Sound Four and possessed the bloodline limit "Shikotsumyaku" (Corpse Bone Pulse) was originally the leader of the Sound Four.

The Sound Four's loyalty to Orochimaru was not entirely pure.

Just as Sasuke said, Orochimaru used his power to control the Sound Four, planting the seed of "fear" in their hearts, a seed that they could not resist.

However, Orochimaru has become increasingly weaker than he was three years ago after the failed Konoha destruction plan.

Sasuke, whose body was coveted by Orochimaru and used as a perfect vessel for the Reanimation Jutsu, was constantly growing stronger.

Sasuke's growth was so rapid that Orochimaru found it laughable that he, who was also called a "genius," was so talented.

Impure loyalty will turn into the purest form of rebellion without any scruples.

The Sound Four quickly gave up resisting and, without much hesitation, switched sides to Sasuke between Orochimaru and Sasuke.

Although Sasuke's relationship with the Sound Four doesn't seem good, you never know.

Orochimaru's only true confidant throughout his life was Kabuto Yakushi, who became more and more like a "second Orochimaru" over time.

But Kabuto Yakushi had already been dealt with by Naruto.

Instead, the Sound Four, who should have been killed by Konoha and Sunagakure reinforcements when Sasuke left Konoha in the original story, survived.

However, even though Kaguya Kimimaro was already suffering from a serious bloodline disease, she still couldn't escape the fate of dying from it.

Sasuke, who replaced Kaguya Kimimaro as the leader of the Sound Four, may have developed some minor ties with Orochimaru during his three years by Orochimaru's side.

Before falling into darkness, Sasuke was a person with a cold exterior but a warm heart, and he had clear personal principles.

As long as Sasuke can restrain the behavior of the Sound Four, in Sasuke's eyes, they won't be like Orochimaru, whom he sees as an irredeemable being who must be eliminated.

After all, the definition of "bond" is broad, and long-term interaction will deepen the emotion called "bond".

The Sound Four also noticed Naruto's scrutinizing gaze.

Having been forced into the "State 1" of the Cursed Seal by Naruto using only a shadow clone with minimal movement, it is an undeniable fact.

The Sound Four completely abandoned their contempt for Naruto, and even harbored deep-seated fear of him.

If Naruto only uses Shadow Clones, he can force them to use the "State 1" of the Cursed Seal at the very beginning of the battle.

And they were at a disadvantage.

Even if they unleash the more powerful "State Two" of the cursed seal, they might not be able to reliably contend with Naruto.

Although Naruto did not clash with the Sound Four's Cursed Seal "State Two".

However, the idea that the "state two" of the cursed seal might not be able to defeat Naruto's thoughts is not just an exaggerated assumption by the Sound Four.

Compared to the description "hypothetical".

A more accurate description would be "intuition".

The battle-hardened ninjas possessed a keen intuition that sensed the enemy's formidable strength.

The Sound Four's "intuition" was already sending frantic warnings to their brains, even though Naruto had only shown the tip of the iceberg of his strength.

They saw Naruto as the biggest threat at the moment, and felt extremely uncomfortable with the way Naruto was looking at the four of them.

They were worried that Naruto might suddenly attack them again.

Naruto merely glanced at them casually before losing interest and turning his attention back to Sasuke.

"Then let's get rid of Orochimaru quickly."

Chapter 40 News of Death

Konoha Hospital.

Patients, whether injured or recovered, continue to come and go in the hospital as always.

However, in an inconspicuous ordinary ward of Konoha Hospital, a large group of Konoha's high-ranking officials, who are rarely seen in public, were gathered.

The Fifth Hokage Tsunade, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, one of the legendary Sannin, and the elite Jonin of Konoha who had good relationships with their patients.

Matt Kay and Kurenai Yuhi.

They all came to visit Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi, who were sharing a hospital room.

"This visiting party is quite impressive."

Looking at the people in front of him, Asma, whose hospital bed was by the window, subconsciously reached for the cigarettes placed in front of the bedside table.

But he quickly realized that now was not the time to prioritize his nicotine addiction, and he awkwardly withdrew his outstretched hand.

The visitors who came to see Kakashi and Asuma were their superiors and peers.

In fact, they weren't the only visitors.

The ninja squad members trained by Kakashi and Asuma also came along.

The three members of Team 10 who came with Kurenai Yuhi to visit Asuma were Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino.

Sakura from Team 7, who came with the Fifth Hokage Tsunade and Jiraiya to visit Kakashi.

"As the Hokage, I don't really want to see such a 'luxurious' lineup."

Tsunade answered Asuma's joke.

The scene in this ward illustrates that the village's strength has been further weakened.

Fortunately, Asuma and Kakashi's conditions improved after recuperation and treatment.

Tsunade shook the patient report in her hand and said, "Asuma, you can be discharged soon. As for Kakashi..."

Tsunade's gaze fell on Kakashi, who was sitting half-upright on the hospital bed. He had taken off his coat and was only wearing a black vest underneath, but he still wore a face mask.

Hearing Tsunade call his name, Kakashi looked up.

He closed his left eye and stared at Tsunade with his open right eye.

In the past, no one would have cared about Kakashi's appearance.

Kakashi closed his left eye to minimize the continuous drain on his chakra by the Sharingan, which he couldn't shut down.

However, Kakashi doesn't open his left eye now because he can't.

Kakashi's Sharingan in his left eye has been taken by Naruto, and his left eye socket is empty.

"Kakashi, are you feeling unwell?"

Tsunade glanced at Kakashi's report. Kakashi's medical report, like Asuma's, showed that he was out of danger and could be discharged from the hospital at any time with Asuma.

However, the Sharingan, a bloodline limit, had been used by Kakashi, an outsider from the Uchiha clan, for over a decade. The routine examination procedures at Konoha Hospital might not have been able to detect the hidden problems deep within Kakashi's body. Tsunade was also unaware of the impact that suddenly losing the Sharingan would have on Kakashi's body...

...No, perhaps the problems of the mind are far more intractable than physical ones...

The origin of Kakashi's Sharingan is a mystery because Kakashi never mentions it, and those who know about it are mindful of Kakashi's feelings.

The younger generation of Konoha ninjas were unaware of the significance of that Sharingan to Kakashi.

That Sharingan was an important strategic weapon for Konoha, but for Kakashi, it was a dream entrusted to him by his deceased comrades, allowing him to witness Konoha's future.

"Oh, they say it's uncomfortable... but suddenly losing the Sharingan and constantly consuming chakra actually makes me feel relaxed all over. I had completely forgotten this feeling, and now experiencing it again is quite novel."

Kakashi scratched his head and chuckled, not looking like he was forcing a smile.

Tsunade said nothing more after hearing this. After all, she was a person who had experienced many storms. Since Kakashi's attitude had been made clear, she would not take the initiative to make Kakashi unhappy.

However, Tsunade herself was able to maintain her composure amidst Kakashi's laughter and merriment.

At fifteen or sixteen years old, Sakura's ability to cope with such a situation was far inferior to Tsunade's.

Sakura couldn't smile along with Kakashi, and she couldn't even maintain a calm, expressionless face.

Sakura had a bitter face, a mixture of sadness, regret, and anger that could be seen on her face.

But Tsunade also understood Sakura's feelings.

The person who stole Kakashi's Sharingan was Naruto Uzumaki, a former member of Team 7 whom she and Kakashi had never given up on.

"Eh……"

Tsunade parted her red lips slightly and let out a sigh.

She felt that Sakura should be given a little more time to recover, and with that thought, Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya again.

Jiraiya could guess Tsunade's thoughts, and he nodded silently.

"Shikamaru!"

Tsunade called out to Shikamaru in a commanding tone, as he was chatting with Asuma along with the other two members of Team 10.

"We have important matters to discuss now. You, Choji, and Ino should leave first."

Tsunade began to "expel" the Chunin from the ward. She didn't just let the three members of Team 10 leave; Sakura was no exception: "Sakura, you should leave with Shikamaru and the others too."

Tsunade's expression was serious. Shikamaru didn't say much and carried out the order unconditionally. He took the lead and called to Choji, Ino, and Sakura in the ward to leave with him.

"So this wasn't just an ordinary visit."

Kakashi slowly spoke after watching Sakura close the door behind her as she left the ward.